Bay Area hero Leon Powe returns

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[From Stephen B. Snyde for Friday tidbits...]

From Jonathan Okanes of the Contra Costa Times, a very nice article about Leon Powe. Here are some snippets which, in my mind, already make him a humble hero no matter how he does in the NBA...

• ...he'd never done anything like the travel required of an NBA player. Powe said he enjoyed visiting different cities and learning about their history and culture. His rough upbringing in Oakland was pretty insulated; he didn't get much of a chance to see the world outside of his neighborhood. "I don't think I even went to San Francisco until I was about 15 or 16," Powe said. "I try not to take anything for granted. Without basketball, I wouldn't be able to see anything. I try to take advantage of it."
  
  
• Powe, who is fiercely loyal to his simple roots, hasn't spent lavishly. [Father figure Bernard Ward] had to encourage Powe to buy a watch because he didn't own one. Powe's one big expense so far was a vacation he recently took to the Bahamas with his girlfriend, Lauren Cook...But he's not living the high life. He said he spends most of his spare time going bowling or attending movies with Cook.
  
  
• Powe also believes he should use his position to get involved in the community. As a Cal student, he talked to children about the importance of education. He's doing the same thing in Boston. Cook is as well, working in an after-school program for underprivileged kids. Powe is going to spend most of this month in the Bay Area, and he is planning more charitable work while he is here. "He feels like it's his job to give back to the community," Ward said. "He wants to talk to kids because he knows he can teach them. He feels like it's a big responsibility. Leon is the same guy he always was -- so humble, so down to earth."

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